I realize schools of fish swim under the Imperial Beach Pier, but how do fish survive swimming on top of the pier? Because they’re made of sunlight!
This cool public art can be found during an easy walk down the pier. A sheltered area permits light to pass through cut out shapes, projecting images of fish and bubbles onto the wooden pier.
Those fish made of light better be careful, however. There’s a huge shark swimming above them!
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Expansive views of the Tijuana River Estuary await those who venture to the south end of Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach.
The North Beach Trail begins here on a wooden walkway that leads to a scenic view spot at the edge of the green marsh. Gazing to the south, one can see buildings in Tijuana, Mexico.
Crossing west past a high sandy berm to the beach, views open to the blue Pacific Ocean and the distant Coronado Islands which lie off Tijuana. A sign in one cluster of boulders warns of rattlesnakes.
I walked around here with my camera recently, in the sunshine and pleasant sea breeze, gazing out at the wide world. No, I didn’t see any snakes.
It was a beautiful day.
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Walk for a few minutes south down Seacoast Drive from Imperial Beach Boulevard and you will come to the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge Viewing Station.
Near a pair of benches, two free scopes allow curious people to view the wide green Tijuana River Estuary and search for birds. Four information signs help describe what is seen.
I took photos of the signs, but glare from the bright sun can make them difficult to read. I altered the contrast quite a bit.
The first sign explains that Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge is the largest remaining coastal wetland in Southern California.
The Tijuana River touches the lands and lives of people of three nations: the Kumeyaay Indian Nation, United States, and Mexico. Starting in the mountains of Baja California, the river crosses the international border just four miles from here before emptying into the Pacific Ocean…
In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established the first wildlife refuge in Florida. Today there are more than 560 refuges… Tijuana Slough shares the mission of all refuges: to conserve wildlife, restore habitat, and protect threatened and endangered species for the benefit of present and future generations.
More than 370 species of birds frequent this area, including six threatened or endangered species, four of which can be seen from this spot. High diversity means healthy habitat, where many species find food and a safe place to rest or nest.
The landscape in front of you might appear flat and quiet, but there is more than meets the eye. Between the beach behind you and the bluffs at the southern end of this reserve, inches of elevation and slight changes in water level and chemistry create many different habitats–each specially suited to a surprising diversity of plants and animals. From the elusive long-tailed weasel hunting rodents to the tiny pygmy blue butterfly perching on pickleweed, fascinating creatures are everywhere.
This place has a pulse, and just like you, it depends on healthy circulation. At high tide, oxygen-rich ocean water pumps into the marsh, while the ebb of water at low tide carries sediment out to sea…
Scientists constantly monitor the marsh’s vital signs. Data loggers, placed around the estuary, record and transmit temperature, oxygen level, water level, and more…
The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, one of 29 and counting, was established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to study how human activities and natural events affect estuarine habitats in the United States. People that work at the reserve include staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California State Parks, City and County of San Diego, the U.S. Navy, and the Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Associates.
An old plaque is embedded in a nearby rock…
Tijuana Estuary Restoration Project
1.25 Acres
Dedicated March 24, 1999
Trying to put this plaque in context, I found this website.
Peer through one of the scopes and you might see a yellow-crowned night heron!
(At least, I believe that’s the species. I framed the nearby bird with my camera.)
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Bibbey’s in Imperial Beach has several cool new murals!
Over the years I’ve photographed different artwork painted on the exterior of the popular gift shop. In 2014 I shared this. In 2020 I shared this. Now another six years have passed…
I learned these latest murals were created a couple months ago by an artist named Brandon.
You can tell Bibbey’s is located near the beach, given how images in the murals include a giant octopus, mermaids and jellyfish. Many of the gifts and souvenirs visitors can purchase inside are also very beachy. There’s a big selection of beautiful shells.
Bibbey’s is roughly located across Seacoast Drive from the Imperial Beach Pier. Look for a gigantic octopus!
Enjoy some fun photos taken today!
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Wanted posters picturing One Piece pirates and other scoundrels have been hung inside the IB Kitchen at the end of the Imperial Beach Pier! I looked right and left for pirates inside the restaurant today, hoping to receive a reward. No luck!
Imperial Beach Kitchen has operated at the end of the IB Pier for about 8 months now. They serve Korean food, seafood tacos, and good old American staples like hamburgers. Fish and chips, too! The friendly owner with whom I briefly spoke loves Asian anime and manga, including the very popular One Piece from Japan.
Arranged along the ceiling is a Who’s Who of pirates and other rascally characters in that fantasy world!
I’ll be blogging about San Diego Comic-Con trolley wraps in a couple weeks, most likely, so a post concerning pop culture is timely now. (If you’re interesting in seeing my past Comic-Con related coverage, click here!)
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To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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The views this morning from the Imperial Beach Pier were dramatic!
Stormy weather brought a procession of very dark clouds, through which bright sunshine penetrated. The waves were pretty big, too, as you can see from these photographs!
Yes, some surfers were out. I saw a KEEP OUT OF WATER sign posted on the beach by the County of San Diego. For their sake, I hope those surfers don’t become sick from the rain’s runoff and all that raw sewage coming from the Tijuana River.
Anyway, the storm clouds, light and breaking surf resulted in great photos!
When I arrived on the Imperial Beach Pier, I saw a rainbow!
A few minutes after I left the pier, a big cell arrived and there was a long-lasting downpour. My final photo was taken from the shelter of a bus stop on Seacoast Drive.
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
Do you know anything about this mysterious sculpture in San Diego’s South Bay, at the intersection of Hollister Street and Conifer Avenue? It’s a few blocks north of the Palm Avenue trolley station.
I haven’t walked this way in a long time, so I don’t know when the sculpture appeared. I took these photos last weekend.
Who created this fun artwork? Why are farewells painted in various languages? Why, on its back, is there a seemingly contradictory message Please No Art?
Two yellow hands on the mysterious sculpture appear to be cleaning while splashing drops of water. Could this have been a sign that once stood at the exit of a carwash? I’m racking my brain for an explanation.
Leave a comment if you happen to know anything!
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
The cities of San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado were all made more beautiful this morning! Volunteers with Operation Clean Sweep fanned out to pick up litter on each city’s waterfront!
I happened to stumble upon the above group this morning as I walked along downtown San Diego’s Embarcadero. They posed for a photo!
I learned there are numerous sponsors for the big annual clean up event, which is organized by the San Diego Working Waterfront. You can see all of the sponsors by checking out the Operation Clean Sweep website here. Some of the smiling volunteers I encountered are with Old Town Trolley Tours.
As a resident of downtown San Diego, lover of the city and avid walker, I want to thank everyone involved!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
The Imperial Beach Historical Society is a volunteer group of IB residents who are working to preserve local history. I learned about the community organization this weekend at the annual Imperial Beach Sun & Sea Festival.
The Imperial Beach Historical Society website states their exciting and important mission: To collect and organize documents, photographs, stories, oral histories, publications, periodicals, artifacts, and any other items related to the history of Imperial Beach, leading to the future establishment of our own Imperial Beach History Museum.
Do you have photographs, historic documents or memorabilia pertaining to Imperial Beach? They can be scanned by the historical society in order to be digitally preserved.
They are also looking for new members! Check out their website to see what these good people are up to!
(Did you know that back in 1908 there was an experimental airfield in Imperial Beach? Read about early aeronauts and the nearby forgotten U.S. Aviation Field by clicking here!)
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
A gigantic sand sculpture now stands near the foot of the Imperial Beach Pier. The “Back 2 IB” retro sculpture, created using 80 cubic yards of sand, celebrates nostalgia from the 1980s. It’s the centerpiece of Imperial Beach’s family friendly 2024 Sun & Sea Festival!
Carved into the massive sculpture are images from the 1980s that many will recognize. Pac-Man. Ghostbusters. MTV. Rubik’s Cube. Cabbage Patch Kids. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Back to the Future. Nintendo Entertainment System. A video game arcade. A boom box. Music on cassette tapes…
Is this the coolest sand sculpture ever, or what? Why was it built? Each summer, during the annual Sun & Sea Festival, Imperial Beach is also known as Sandcastle City!
When I visited the festival late this morning, the local sand artists, including members of the Imperial Beach Posse Sand Carvers, appeared to be nearly finished. They’ve been working on their monumental work of art for several days.
I walked around the “Back 2 IB” sand sculpture and took these photographs of the sand sculptors hard at work…
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
